Welterweight
1. Tyron Woodley (18-3-1)
Woodley may already have three successful UFC title defenses under his belt, but his immediate future never quite seems certain. Despite his stumping for Nate Diaz and Georges St. Pierre fights, it seemed like “The Chosen One’s” next challenger would naturally be Rafael dos Anjos after the Brazilian’s Dec. 16 win over Robbie Lawler. While UFC President Dana White said the dos Anjos-Lawler winner would be the next title challenger, the promotion now seems non-committal.2. Rafael dos Anjos (28-9)
After losing the UFC lightweight title to Eddie Alvarez and dropping a five-round decision to Tony Ferguson, dos Anjos did not merely snap a two-fight losing skid. No, in the span of six months, dos Anjos has gone 3-0 as a revitalized welterweight, and on Dec. 16, he dominated former UFC champ Robbie Lawler for 25 minutes. Despite the Brazilian being promised that a win over Lawler would net him a title shot against Tyron Woodley, the UFC seems to be weighing its options. Regardless, dos Anjos has quickly inserted himself into the company’s 170-pound title picture.3. Robbie Lawler (28-12, 1 NC)
Lawler’s surprising late-career resurgence was both spiriting and thrilling, but that era seems to have come to an end. The 35-year-old on Dec. 16 was dominated from start to finish by former lightweight king Rafael dos Anjos, and while the “Ruthless” one can still crack, his days as a pound-for-pound standout appear to be done.4. Stephen Thompson (14-2-1)
After a seven-fight winning streak in the Octagon, things were looking good for “Wonderboy.” Then, he narrowly missed out on winning the UFC welterweight title twice, going to a majority draw with Tyron Woodley before losing a majority verdict to the champ just four months later. Thompson needed knee surgery after the second Woodley bout. Undaunted, he returned to action at UFC 217 on Nov. 4 and did so in style, dominating Jorge Masvidal every which way for 15 minutes en route to an authoritative unanimous decision.5. Douglas Lima (29-6)
Lima’s vengeful knockout to reclaim the Bellator MMA welterweight title from Andrey Koreshkov, coupled with his five-round domination of Lorenz Larkin in June, have re-established the Atlanta-based Brazilian as one of the true welterweight elite. If any doubters remain, “The Phenom” can help to quiet them in his next title defense: Lima will defend his title on Jan. 20 against former UFC title challenger Rory MacDonald in Los Angeles.6. Rory MacDonald (19-4)
The physical toll of his knockout loss in the 2015 “Fight of the Year” with Robbie Lawler had many wondering if MacDonald was already damaged goods. His last UFC fight 11 months later, a lackadaisical five-round loss to Stephen Thompson, led to further speculation. However, a dominant submission win over Paul Daley in May has earned MacDonald a shot at Bellator MMA champ Douglas Lima on Jan. 20 in Los Angeles. A win over “The Phenom” would earn MacDonald a title belt and prove the 28-year-old is anything but done as an elite 170-pounder.7. Colby Covington (13-1)
Where do you even start with Covington? The American Top Team rep has racked up an 8-1 record in the UFC, and his dominant 2017 wins over Dong Hyun Kim and Demian Maia would have been enough for most fighters to claim they had a noteworthy year; never mind his out-of-control trash talking, which included his calling Brazilians “filthy animals.” However, “Chaos” managed to live up to his nickname once again in Sydney, where he got into an altercation with UFC heavyweight Fabricio Werdum, who hurled a boomerang at him. That resulted in Covington pressing assault charges against the Brazilian and then going on bizarre public rants about fascism. We can only guess what Covington has in store for 2018.8. Demian Maia (25-8)
Going on 40 years old, Maia looked every bit his age in the UFC Fight Night 119 co-headliner, as he spent most of his three rounds against Colby Covington getting his face battered and bloodied on the feet in front of his hometown crowd in Sao Paulo, Brazil. After earning a UFC title shot with his outstanding three-year, seven-fight winning streak, Maia has now lost back-to-back bouts.9. Santiago Ponzinibbio (26-3)
The welterweight division is as hot as it has ever been, so it can be hard for any given contender to make a mark. With his Dec. 16 victory over Mike Perry, Argentina’s Ponzinibbio picked up a sixth straight win inside the Octagon and earned his spot among the welterweight elite the old-fashioned way. “Gente Boa” is now undeniably one of the most intriguing 170-pound contenders the UFC has on its roster.10. Neil Magny (20-6)
Perhaps in a bit of a backhanded compliment, Magny was chosen to be the man to welcome back former UFC interim welterweight champion Carlos Condit after a year and a half in retirement. At UFC 219 on Dec. 30, Magny got back in the win column, took a sound decision over Condit and went some distance toward erasing his lopsided loss to Rafael dos Anjos in September.Other Contenders: Paul Daley, Leon Edwards, Jorge Masvidal, Darren Till, Kamaru Usman.
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